The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is advising pork producers and veterinarians that a new coronavirus has been detected in pig fecal samples from 4 different swine farms in Ohio by Dr Yan Zhang, a virologist from ODA's Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL). The virus cannot spread to humans or other species and poses no risk to food safety.

The farms from which the samples were taken experienced outbreaks of a diarrheal disease in sows and piglets in January and early February of 2014. The clinical signs of the disease were similar to that of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) and transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), which are both caused by coronaviruses. Electron microscopy of feal samples from the 4 farms showed the presence of coronavirus-like viral particles. In one of the 4 farms, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for TGE viruses and PED viruses currently circulating in the US were negative, but all 10 samples were positive for a new virus. PED and the new virus were detected in fecal samples from the other 3 farms.

Sequence analysis of the new coronavirus shows that it is a deltacoronavirus, distinct from PED and TGE viruses

The prefecture of Meuse warned in a statement that 3 cases of Aujeszky's disease (AD) were confirmed in late 2013 in hunting dogs who had been in contact with wild boars in the communes of Loisey and Sommedieue.

The predominant clinical signs in dogs are those of encephalomyelitis, paralysis of the larynx, and significant pruritus, which may lead the animal to harm itself. Incubation lasts from 2 to 6 days and death is rapid, within 48 hours after onset of symptoms. There is no treatment.

Canadian pork producers are worried about a virus that is killing young pigs in the United States. An outbreak of porcine epidemic diarrhea has affected herds in 22 American states. Pork producers say this could open the US market to more Canadian pork. However, there is also the danger that the disease could be brought to this country.

Frigid temperatures across a large swath of the United States this week followed by warmer conditions could aid the spread of a fatal pig disease now in 22 states, affecting hundreds of thousands of pigs, a swine veterinarian said on Thursday [9 Jan 2014].

There are no official figures for pigs lost to the disease, but U.S. hog industry analysts estimate one million to 4 million have died.